Homework for the ELL

When I first began teaching, my homework philosophy was simple:  If it doesn't get completed in class, it gets completed at home.  This seemed like a good way for me to positively reinforce those students who worked hard in class while giving relevant practice to those who needed more time to finish at home.  For many years, this policy served me well; the parent complaints were minimal, and my students' homework return rate was phenomenal, which all of us enjoyed.  I saw no reason to change until my reading students this year inspired me to rethink the power of choice; even in homework.

Since entering the Master's in Reading program at Regis, I have learned some valuable new strategies to reinforce the five components of reading.  I devised a menu of reading activities they could choose from each day to complete in class while not in small group.  These activities supported the five components, provided individualization through choice, and the variety of activities they have learned to complete have proven to be highly engaging for all.  Unfortunately, it seemed there were so many activities that some could not complete as many as they wanted in one class period.  Conversely, my ELLs, who are highly motivated by this style of reading instruction, seemed to be able to complete all their menu activities, called "task cards", each day and begged for more.  They began asking for "extra homework", which I readily provided in the form of worksheets.  Many students did this, but it didn't seem to be helping them grow in reading instruction.  I had an inspiration....since they love the reading task cards so much, why not create a task card folder with activities they can complete at home?

According to my previous homework routine, for all students in my class, homework is given as a reinforcement of the day's lessons or as a review and practice opportunity for necessary skills such as math facts, sight words, and independent reading stamina.  I decided to apply these basic tenets to the task card model, and see what would happen when I gave it to my reading students.  I made them a folder identical to the one they use in reading, containing a plastic business card insert holding 10 cards upon which are written 10 different reading and writing activities they would be expected to complete in one week.  They were to choose 2 activities each night, complete those, and place any written work or signatures inside the pockets of the folder.  On Friday, the folder and its contents would be turned in and I would assess and respond to their performance the following Monday, changing the cards according to their proficiency or lack thereof. Below is an example of a homework task card page.

They responded to this like a house on fire!  For the first time, I noticed students saying things like, "I can't wait to do my homework tonight!  What task cards are you going to do later?"  and "I did 5 task cards last night...how many did you do?".  They seemed genuinely excited to do homework!  And because it was their choice, they actually did the work.  The best part was that their reading and writing skills began to creep up because of their added practice with the five components and integrated spelling and writing.  When I introduce and model for them a new task card during reading, they immediately ask for an extra card for their homework folder.  Because the activities are clearly related to their reading and writing growth, parents have no complaints and because the students choose the activities they complete each night, they have no complaints.  In fact, my Math class is a bit jealous they have not been given a homework task folder...I think I will need to offer them one after Winter Break!

For my ELLs, I have made very few modifications.  Because the children are very familiar with the homework task cards, there is no need to change the language on the card for their comprehension.  Many of the activities are games and activities meant for two players; therefore, for parents who want to understand the activities, I try to include a graphic on each card that gives an idea what they are to do.  All of my ELLs are in the family literacy program on Tuesday and Thursday nights; therefore, they are able to add a technology card to their folders because they have access to the school computers two nights a week.  Their favorites are the Spelling City website and the Tumblebooks because they relate directly to what they are learning in class each day.  Wordles for vocabulary building and ToonDoo for cartoon and story creation are also wildly popular choices for the technology homework card. 

As the homework task card folder has been in use, we as a class have made changes and additions to the program in order to make it run more smoothly and be more useful for their reading and writing needs.  Parent input has been asked for and given, and so far, we have experienced great success.  I think because the activities are purposeful, well-understood, and engaging for the students, parents have no reason to object.  And because many of the tasks are geared toward cooperative learning, parents are enjoying homework time with their child instead of dreading the arguments and "That's not the way my teacher does it!" conversations of the past.  Homework can be fun!!

Comparison of Fiction and Non-Fiction Texts

Using the MacMillan McGraw Hill Treasures reading series, I compared a non-fiction leveled reader text with a related fiction text from the student textbook.  Both texts were written about desert animals and desert ecosystems; the fiction text was written from the point of view of the desert animals as they went on the hunt for food and water while the non-fiction text gave information about how desert animals use their biological adaptations to find sustenance.  Both were engaging pieces, with features that could support an ELL in their quest to make meaning; however, there were some differences in each that, as an educator, I will need to make adjustments for when presenting the material to my students.  The graphic organizer below illustrates these differences, highlighting the text features that will and will not prove challenging for ELLs. 



One thing I will need to pay attention to when expecting ELLs to read these different desert animal texts and gather the appropriate information is the language and vocabulary used in each.  While the more simplistic word choice and dialogue between characters in the fiction piece will be more engaging and readily understood, the figurative language will pose a challenge.  The fiction story is filled with similes and idiomatic language that will need to be explained to ELLs.  In the nonfiction article, although there is no figurative language to provide a linguistic barrier, the more sophisticated word choice will likely prove problematic for ELLs.  The scientific words such as "ecosystem", "habitat", "drought", and "precipitation" will need to be explicitly taught and made more comprehensible by use of non-linguistic representations. 

 

Both texts have features that will support ELLs in their comprehension; the engaging illustrations and photographs, and the captions and different fonts will be helpful in drawing their attention to important facts and events in each.   The illustrations in the fiction text provide a visual summary of the important events and characters while the desert photographs in the nonfiction text provide examples of the characteristics of each animal and details about the desert ecosystem.  The captions and headings in the nonfiction text keep the reader focused and organized as they gather information.  The use of different font in both texts help the reader concentrate on certain words as either important academic vocabulary (non-fiction text) or insights into the feelings of the characters (fiction text).

 

This exercise further cements the idea that, in order to effectively teach comprehension, the information must be made comprehensible regardless of the genre.  Some of the same sheltered strategies used in fiction comprehension can be valuable when teaching non-fiction; assessing the different features of each illustrate for the teacher which strategies are best.